Durban content creator Roseanne Pillay in Israel.
Durban content creator Roseanne Pillay says she accepted a sponsored trip to Israel to fulfil a lifelong religious dream, but was unaware of the political controversy surrounding the visit.
Pillay, 47, originally from Chatsworth and now living in Durban CBD, known as ‘Roseyma’ on TikTok said she was shocked by the backlash after sharing videos and photographs of her trip.
She said she had no idea that accepting the opportunity would place her at the centre of a politically charged controversy.
“Someone who saw me on social media approached me. I assumed the person was part of a travel agency because they said there was an opportunity for content creators to go to Israel. I knew of the person through charity work we had done together online. I did not know him personally,” she said.
She said she was told that organisers were looking for content creators from Durban, as well as other parts of South Africa, to go on the trip.
“The person approached me at the beginning of August, around my birthday. I remember thinking what a lovely surprise but I also thought that someone was pranking me. I eventually forgot about it until they contacted me again at the beginning of October.”
Pillay said the trip was presented as an opportunity to experience life outside South Africa, and that participants were not instructed to promote a particular message or produce specific content.
“There were no instructions to do anything specific on the trip. They did not even ask us to take videos. However, because I am a content creator, I naturally take videos and photographs wherever I go. The whole trip was about experiencing another country,” she said.
The group, which included about 12 content creators from South Africa, departed on October 31 and returned on November 6.
For Pillay, the opportunity carried special significance because it was her first time travelling outside the country.
“As a Christian, visiting Jerusalem and walking on the land where Jesus walked was my biggest dream. I was so excited because it was my first time leaving the country. I never thought I would ever be given an opportunity like this, especially one that I could not afford financially,” she said.
Rosanne Pillay known as 'Roseyma' in Israel.
She said her family was equally excited because she was the first person in her family to travel overseas.
Pillay said her difficult upbringing had shaped her outlook on life and left her focused on surviving and providing for her child, rather than following international political developments.
She was widowed at the age of 20, after marrying at 16. She said she had been unable to complete her schooling and was left to raise her child after her husband died a few months after their baby was born.
“I come from a very poor background. Every day was a struggle to put a plate of food on the table. I had to start fending for myself and my baby all over again. My father was an abusive alcoholic. My parents were unemployed and could not help me because they were struggling themselves,” she said.
Pillay recalled walking from house to house with her baby on her hip, looking for domestic work to earn enough money to buy food.
She eventually secured employment as a teller in the betting industry, where she worked for 12 years and progressed to a managerial position before losing her job following internal issues.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she turned to TikTok, initially using the platform casually before her videos began attracting significant attention.
She said she later realised that reacting to everything online was not necessarily the best approach and adjusted her content to focus more on sharing her own experiences.
However, the reaction to her Israel trip left her confused and hurt.
Pillay said she had limited knowledge of the history and political conflict between Israel and Palestine before travelling.
“I am being honest when I say I did not know the history between Israel and Palestine. I had too many issues in my own life and was trying to survive to put food on the table. It may sound insensitive, but I am just trying to survive.
“I did not even research the country, I only checked on the weather so I knew what clothes to pack,” she said.
She said she was not indifferent to the suffering of others, but had not been exposed to the developments surrounding the conflict.
“I know people are suffering, but I suffered as well as a child. I stood outside people's doors asking for food. People eventually got fed up and told me to leave. So do not think I do not care about people. I just had my own struggles to deal with,” she said.
Pillay said she only began understanding the controversy after people started commenting on her posts, accusing her of promoting propaganda and questioning her decision to visit Israel while the war continued.
She said she was unfamiliar with the term genocide when it was raised in the comments and was overwhelmed by the hostility directed at her.
“People started speaking about genocide and, to be honest, I did not even know what the word meant. It was not my fault that I could not finish school. I was worried about surviving,” she said.
Rosanne Pillay known as 'Roseyma' in Israel.
She added that seeing other content creators with large followings also face criticism during the trip made her realise the extent of the controversy.
Pillay said the criticism was particularly painful because she believed she had accepted the opportunity for personal and religious reasons, without intending to endorse any political position.
“The hate comments affected me. God knows me and knows that I did not have the education to understand what was happening in the world. I have never encouraged anyone to kill children. I am always someone who tries to help the community whenever I can because I know what it feels like to have nothing,” she said.
“I do not understand why people are making it seem as though everything is my fault. We all have the same blood. Why would I condone the killing of people, and why am I being crucified for something I did not know about?”
Pillay said she did not organise the trip or determine its purpose beyond the opportunity presented to her, and maintained that her decision was driven by her faith and long-held desire to visit biblical sites.
“My understanding in life was that people want to visit the places where their faith comes from, and that is exactly what I did. I did not cause the war and I did not support it. I went for my own reasons, and I wish people would understand that and respect me for who I am,” she said.
She questioned why she had become a target, particularly as someone from an underprivileged background who had never had the financial means to travel internationally.
“There are so many people there from all over the world. Why was it so bad that an underprivileged and poor woman from Durban was there? People hating me and targeting me because I am uneducated is sad,” she said.
Despite the controversy, Pillay said she treasured the experience and described the trip as peaceful and beautiful from a spiritual perspective.
She said she did not want to be labelled a bad person or judged for something she never intended to support.
“I really enjoyed my trip. It was a peaceful and beautiful experience for Christians. I just do not want to be labelled a bad person. People are judging me for something I did not do. I was even body-shamed and insulted, called insensitive, when all I did was take up an opportunity I had always wanted and knew I would never be able to afford on my own,” she said.
Pillay visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea.